Tournament details | |
---|---|
Country | Cuba |
Venue(s) | 1 (in 1 host city) |
Dates | 12–26 August |
Teams | 3 |
Final positions | |
Champions | Cuba (1st title) |
Runner-up | Nicaragua |
Third place | United States |
Tournament statistics | |
Games played | 9 |
MVP | Juan Torres |
The 1939 Amateur World Series was the second Amateur World Series (AWS), an international men's amateur baseball tournament. The tournament was sanctioned by the International Baseball Federation (which titled it the Baseball World Cup as of the 1988 tournament). Great Britain did not defend the AWS title it had won in the inaugural event the previous year. The tournament took place, for the first time, in Cuba. It was contested by the national teams of Cuba, Nicaragua and the United States, playing six games each from August 12 through August 26. Cuba won its first AWS title –the first of what would be a record 26 titles by the time the series ended in 2011, 22 more titles than the next closest nation.
The second Amateur World Series was announced on June 11, 1939. In addition to the United States and Great Britain, which had participated in the inaugural tournament held the previous year, the International Baseball Federation (IBF) hope to increase the visibility of the tournament by inviting thirteen other countries, all of them in the Western Hemisphere. However, only two federations accepted, those of Cuba and Nicaragua; Great Britain, the defending champions, declined for the sake of their domestic league, which began in August of that year. [1] IBF president Leslie Mann was particularly disappointed by Britain's exit from the tournament; they would not return until the 2009 Baseball World Cup. [2]
Caribbean (1)
Europe (0)
| North America (2)
| South America (0) |
Though only three federations participated in the 1939 edition, most of the invitees would participate in future tournaments, starting with the following year's edition. [lower-alpha 1]
Havana, Cuba | |
---|---|
Gran Stadium Cervecería Tropical | |
Capacity: 15,000 | |
The ceremonial first pitch was thrown out by Colonel Jaime Mariné, the director of the Cuban sports ministry and a close associate of Fulgencio Batista, who had helped organize the tournament. [1] The United States was badly outmatched against the Cuban and Nicaraguan pitching staffs — which, unlike the amateur leagues in the U.S., included some of the best pitchers from their countries. [3]
In a report on the 1939 series, Mann concluded that the United States "has the youngsters with the ability to compete with the other countries around the world but it is going to take enthusiastic cooperation on part of those amateur players... The U.S.A. should lead in baseball but first they will have to prove it to England, Japan, and Central America which at this time hold upper berths on this challenge." [3]
Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | RF | RA | RD | PCT | GB |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Cuba (H) | 6 | 6 | 0 | 28 | 11 | +17 | 1.000 | — |
2 | Nicaragua | 6 | 3 | 3 | 14 | 10 | +4 | .500 | 3 |
3 | United States | 6 | 0 | 6 | 9 | 30 | −21 | .000 | 6 |
August 12, 1939 | Nicaragua | 3–4 (F/10) | Cuba | Gran Stadium La Tropical |
LP: José "Chino" Meléndez | Boxscore | WP: Pedro "Natilla" Jiménez |
August 13, 1939 | United States | 3–13 | Cuba | Gran Stadium La Tropical |
LP: J. B. Williams | Boxscore | WP: Conrado Marrero |
August 15, 1939 | United States | 0–3 | Nicaragua | Gran Stadium La Tropical |
LP: Fred Webb | Boxscore | WP: Alfredo “Chiquirín” García |
August 17, 1939 | Nicaragua | 2–3 (F/10) | Cuba | Gran Stadium La Tropical |
LP: Alfredo “Chiquirín” García | Boxscore | WP: Wenceslao Gonzáles |
August 19, 1939 | Cuba | 8–3 | United States | Gran Stadium La Tropical |
WP: Eliécer Álvarez | Boxscore | LP: Walter Erickson |
August 20, 1939 | Nicaragua | 7–3 | United States | Gran Stadium La Tropical |
WP: Alfredo “Chiquirín” García | Boxscore | LP: J.B. Williams |
August 24, 1939 | Cuba | 9–1 | Nicaragua | Gran Stadium La Tropical |
WP: Pedro "Natilla" Jiménez | Boxscore | LP: José "Chino" Meléndez | ||
HR: Stanley Cayasso |
August 24, 1939 | Cuba | 12–7 | United States | Gran Stadium La Tropical |
WP: Wenceslao Gonzáles | Boxscore | LP: Fred Webb |
August 24, 1939 | Nicaragua | 12–7 | United States | Gran Stadium La Tropical |
WP: Alfredo “Chiquirín” García | Boxscore | LP: Robert Davis | ||
HR: Jonathan Robinson |
The Cuban team of 1939 was assembled on a somewhat "arbitrary" basis, according to Roberto González Echevarría. [1] There were no professional players from the Cuban League, in keeping with the tournament's amateur basis (though Adolfo Luque, manager of Almendares and formerly of the Cincinnati Reds, acted as an English-language interpreter). [4] Instead, the team was made up of the top players from Cuba's amateur circuits, including the clubs of Regla, Fortuna, Circulo Militar, Cienfuegos, and Deportivo Cardenas. [1] Notably, the Cuban team included two Black Cuban players, Clemente Gonzalez and Esteban Maciques, as part of Mariné's efforts to desegregate the amateur leagues. [1] [5]
Conrado Marrero, a future Washington Senators pitcher, was on the Cuban squad, as was future New York Giants farmhand Andrés Fleitas (C). Bernardo Cuervo (1B) hit .200, leading the tournament with two triples and six runs batted in, while Ernesto Estevez (2B) hit .389 with two doubles. Wenceslao Gonzales (P), a future cup of coffee player with the Washington Senators, hit .500 (3 for 6). Pedro "Natilla" Jiménez was the best pitcher in the tournament with a 2–0 record and a 0.95 earned run average. Esteban Maciques (RF) hit .250 with 7 runs (led tournament). Juan J. Torres (CF) won the most valuable player award for the tournament despite a .174 batting average. Gerardo Toyo (LF) hit .333 (9 for 27), tied for lead in hits.
Nicaragua's Stanley Cayasso (1B) hit one of only two home runs of the tournament plus two doubles to start a string of successful appearances in the tournament. Jonathan Robinson (RF) hit the other home run of the tournament, while Colbert Newell (LF) stole four bases to lead the tournament in that category
Charles Forbes led the team in offensive performance with a .300 avera, going 6 for 20 with 3 walks and 3 runs. American second baseman Joe Justice would go on to become head baseball coach at Rollins College, leading them to the 1954 College World Series, while left fielder Tom Callahan would later play basketball for the Providence Steamrollers of the BAA
Pos. | Team | W | L |
---|---|---|---|
Cuba | 6 | 0 | |
Nicaragua | 3 | 3 | |
United States | 0 | 6 |
|
|
Award | Player | Ref. |
---|---|---|
Most Valuable Player | Juan J. Torres | [6] |
The Baseball World Cup (BWC) was an international baseball tournament for national teams around the world, sanctioned by the International Baseball Federation (IBAF). First held in 1938 as the Amateur World Series (AWS), it was, for most of its history, the highest level of international baseball competition in the world. Even after it was supplanted in this regard in 2006 by the modern World Baseball Classic (WBC), the Baseball World Cup was still considered by the IBAF to be a major world championship, along with the WBC and the Summer Olympic Games.
The Australian national baseball team represents Australia in international baseball tournaments and competitions. It is ranked as the top team in Oceania, and is the Oceanian Champion, having been awarded the title in 2007 when New Zealand withdrew from the Oceania Baseball Championship. After achieving a last (16th) place in the 2013 World Baseball Classic, its rank dropped to 13, which is the lowest rank Australia ever received. The highest rank it has achieved is 6th, and its current rank is 10th.
The Puerto Rico national baseball team, also known as Team Rubio is the national baseball team of Puerto Rico. The men's senior team is currently ranked 13th in the world. Puerto Rico is the incumbent Pan American and Central American/Caribbean champion, as well as the 2017 World Baseball Classic runner-up. The team competed against Israel, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela and Nicaragua in the 2023 World Baseball Classic in March 2023 in Miami, Florida.
The Cuban League was one of the earliest and longest lasting professional baseball leagues outside the United States, operating in Cuba from 1878 to 1961. The schedule usually operated during the winter months, so the league was sometimes known as the "Cuban Winter League."
Tomás de la Cruz Rivero was a Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the Cincinnati Reds in 1944. The 32-year-old rookie was a native of Marianao, Cuba; he played from 1934 to 1947 in the winter Cuban League and from 1945 to 1948 in the Mexican League. In 1960, he was elected to the Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame.
Conrado Eugenio Marrero Ramos, nicknamed "Connie", was a Cuban professional baseball pitcher. The right-handed Marrero pitched in Major League Baseball from 1950 to 1954 for the Washington Senators.
The 2003 Baseball World Cup (BWC) was the 35th international Men's amateur baseball tournament. The tournament was sanctioned by the International Baseball Federation, which titled it the Amateur World Series from the 1938 tournament through the 1986 AWS. The tournament was held, for the ninth time, in Cuba, from October 12 to 25 in the cities of Havana, Matanzas, Santiago de Cuba and Holguín.
Leslie Mann was an American athlete and sports administrator. He played college football and professional baseball, and went on to coach football, baseball, and basketball. He was the founder and first president of the International Baseball Federation (IBF), the predecessor to the modern World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC).
The 1938 Amateur World Series was the inaugural Amateur World Series, the first edition of the tournament that would eventually become the Baseball World Cup. Originally known as the John Moores Cup, it was contested by the United States and Great Britain over a series of five games from August 13 to 20 in five different cities in England. The tournament was won by Great Britain, four games to one.
The 1940 Amateur World Series was the third Amateur World Series (AWS), an international men's amateur baseball tournament. The tournament was sanctioned by the International Baseball Federation. The tournament took place, for the second consecutive time, in Cuba. It was contested by seven national teams playing twelve games each from September 14 through October 6 in Havana.
The 1941 Amateur World Series was the fourth edition of the Amateur World Series (AWS), an international men's amateur baseball tournament sanctioned by the International Baseball Federation. The tournament took place, for the third consecutive time, in Cuba. It was contested by nine national teams playing eight games each from September 27 through October 22 at the Estadio La Tropical in Havana.
The 1942 Amateur World Series was the fifth edition of the Amateur World Series (AWS), an international men's amateur baseball tournament. The tournament was sanctioned by the International Baseball Federation. The tournament took place, for the fourth consecutive time, in Cuba. It was contested by four national teams playing twelve games each from September 26 through October 20 in Havana. Cuba won its third AWS title.
The 1943 Amateur World Series was the sixth edition of the Amateur World Series (AWS), an international men's amateur baseball tournament. The tournament was sanctioned by the International Baseball Federation. The tournament took place, for the fifth consecutive time, in Cuba. It was contested by four national teams playing twelve games each from September 25 through October 19 in Havana. Cuba, who won its fourth overall, and second consecutive, AWS title.
The 1944 Amateur World Series was the seventh Amateur World Series (AWS), an international men's amateur baseball tournament. The tournament was sanctioned by the International Baseball Federation. The tournament took place, for the first time, in Venezuela. It was contested by four national teams playing twelve games each from October 12 through November 18 in Caracas. Venezuela won their second AWS title, though in controversial fashion.
The 1951 Amateur World Series was the twelfth Amateur World Series (AWS), an international men's amateur baseball tournament. The tournament was sanctioned by the International Baseball Federation. The tournament took place, for the only time, in Mexico, from November 1 to 19.
The Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame is a hall of fame that honors eminent baseball players from Cuban baseball. Established in 1939 to honor players, managers, and umpires in the pre-revolution Cuban League, by 1961 it had honored 68 players, managers, and umpires whose names are shown on a marble plaque at Havana's Estadio Latinoamericano. After the revolution, however, the Hall of Fame languished for more than 50 years, seldom mentioned or acknowledged and with no new inductees. Following a campaign led by Cuban filmmaker Ian Padrón, a meeting was held on November 7–8, 2014 to reformulate the Hall of Fame and to propose a museum in which it would be housed. The reformulated Hall recognized the original 68 members, and a jury of 25 people selected 10 new inductees—five from the pre-revolution period and five representing for the first time the post-revolution Cuban National Series. The planned site for the new museum is in the José Antonio Echeverría Workers' Social Club.
The 1945 Amateur World Series was the eighth edition of the Amateur World Series (AWS), an international men's amateur baseball tournament. The tournament was sanctioned by the International Baseball Federation. The tournament took place, for the second time, in Venezuela, which had also hosted the previous (1944) tournament. It was contested by six national teams playing ten games each from October 27 through November 18 in Caracas.
The 1972 Amateur World Series was the 20th Amateur World Series (AWS), an international men's amateur baseball tournament. The tournament was sanctioned by the International Baseball Federation (FIBA) and took place, for the third time, in Nicaragua, from November 25th to December 5, 1972.
The 1973 Amateur World Series in Nicaragua was an international baseball tournament held in Managua, Nicaragua from November 22 through December 5. It was organized by FEMBA, a splinter organization from the International Baseball Federation (FIBA), and ran parallel to FIBA's 1973 Amateur World Series in Cuba, during a period of international baseball conflict.
Jaime Mariné y Montes was a Cuban baseball administrator and soldier. He is best known as the second president of the International Baseball Federation (IBF) from 1940 to 1943. Mariné, nicknamed "El Catalancito," was also a close associate of Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista.